The Guardians by Ana Castillo Page A

together, like they didn't have a care in the world. La coyota was putting on a pair of designer sunglasses, her husband about to lock up the door, when he caught sight of us. How could they not? We weren't only parked right in front we were parked backward.
    Me and Miguel both swallowed hard. I clutched his arm tighter but neither of us could stop staring. The coyote couple stared right back. They could plainly see us. It felt like an eternity passed with us four staring like that when el coyote said something to his wife and she went on her way, coming out through the front gate and pushing the double stroller down the street. As she passed us she gave us a nasty look. I gave her a nasty look right back. She didn't own the street. Meanwhile her husband leaned against the doorway, watching us. He wasn't going nowhere while we were out there. “So, it's gonna be a showdown, eh?” Miguel said under his breath. “Us or him.”
    “Well, we ain't going nowhere, Miguel,” I said, gritting my teeth.
    Can more than one eternity pass in the span of about five minutes? That's what it felt like while we three stayed like that watching each other before el coyote decided to go back into his house.
    “Now what?” Miguel asked me. I stopped gripping his arm and he started rubbing it. “Now what?” he asked again. I covered my face. I couldn't bear to let him see me cry. Then I took a deep breath. “Let's go in and get him, Miguel,” I said. “Let's just go in and beat on him until he tells us something.” It was crazy. I realized how crazy later, but not then. At that moment it seemed right.
    “What?” Miguel said, whispering like the coyote could hear us. “Do you think that jerk doesn't have a gun? Or that maybe someone else might even be there with him?”
    “Yeah!” I said. My face felt so hot I knew I must look like my neck was being squeezed. “What do you want to bet Rafa is in there, Miguel?”
    “I'm not arguing with you,” he said. “I'm just questioning how safe barging in there would be. He knows we're out here. He's probably in there waiting for us… .” Miguel put his hand on mine as if to hold me back. If el coyote was waiting behind the door with a gun, I was prepared to take that risk. It was my only chance to find out something about my brother's whereabouts. Even if el coyote said he didn't know nothing, at least I'd have had the satisfaction of him knowing that I knew he was lying.
    Without even thinking about it, I started to jump out of the car. I felt Miguel's fingers barely grab hold of some strands of hair when an SUV that had just whipped around the corner almost hit the car door I had swung open so fast. “Regina!” Miguel cried out. Without slowing down, the driver of the SUV started honking as he passed us, pressing down on the horn so hard that the three people on the street all turned and looked at the SUV and then at me. Now for sure the coyote had to be on the alert for us.
    Then Miguel said, “He's right there.” I closed the car door and settled back into the seat. You could hardly see him, but he was there, all right, standing behind the storm door, watching us.

GABO
    Adorado Padre Pío, Surrounded by the Holy Angels, San Pablo, and All the Saints, and at the Feet of Dios,
    At last, el Señor granted me a favor. Praise be to Him Who is truly magnificent and merciful. It came when I least expected it. It happened last domingo, Su Reverencia. My first time to read part of the liturgy during Mass. Little did I know that God had in mind to bestow on me such a great favor. (I have not told anyone yet, not even el cura, and he is my confessor.)
    The church was very full for the noon Spanish Mass. (You know that I usually go to the 7 A.M. Mass before going to work but Padre Juan Bosco asked me to this one and I could not say no.) It looked like everyone from Cabuche was there. I was not surprised to see my night manager from work with his familia and my computer teacher with hers